
In the state Senate today, Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) plans to introduce a bill that would suspend for 12 months a 2.5 percent tax on commercial development designed to create funds for affordable housing development.
But the two Republican candidates officially in the race for governor both believe the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) shouldn’t be tweaked so such as simply scrapped.
To that end, Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R-Mendham) intends to introduce his own bill on the floor that would do just that, even as the Legislature with Lesniak’s proposal will consider fine-tuning COAH, the State agency responsible for establishing and monitoring municipal affordable housing obligations in New Jersey.
“My bill is intended to eliminate COAH,” Merkt said. “The council would cease to exist. There would be no enforcement mechanism if this passes. What we have to understand is COAH has evolved into this ugly monster. Mayors universally spit when they talk about COAH, and in this time particularly in which the time constraints COAH imposes on towns are just unreasonable. This bill would kick the issue back to the courts with the message that they can’t just pull the pin on the grenade, put it in the middle of the room and walk away from it.”
It's no surprise that the move puts Merkt - and former Bogota Steve Lonegan, who announced his entry into the governor’s race with a broadside at COAH - to the right of prospective GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian D. Levine, the mayor of Franklin Township, who agrees with Lesniak that COAH regulations need to be refined not detonated.
“It’s a good program with bad implementation,” said Levine, who’s still mulling a run for governor, and whose COAH plan in Franklin Township includes provisions for 30 sites scattered around the municipality comprising 1,000 units.
For his part, Lonegan called Merkt’s bill drop to do away with COAH a man-up moment for the GOP.
“I’m glad to see Rick’s doing this, we’re on the same side on this issue,” said Lonegan. “If there’s a bill to abolish COAH, I support it and support any effort to drop this plan. I hope he gets unanimous support from the Republican Party. They’ve got to be in lockstep to do this, and can’t keep saying that all that needs to be done is to tweak it.”
Garden State Equality fires new broadside at Dems Smarting over the state Senate's refusal to pass marriage equality and disillusioned at the moment with the Democratic Party majority, Garden State Equality’s 85-member Board of Directors unanimously decided against giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. ...
“We will work harder and smarter to protect consumers, to preserve civil rights, to effectively regulate the alcoholic beverage industry, to ensure that the integrity of New Jersey’s casino gaming industry continues, to keep drives, passengers and pedestrians safe on our streets, to assist victims of crimes, and to remember always the importance of juvenile justice on issues affecting the state." -- Attorney General-designate Paula Dow, at her Senate confirmation hearing.
- PolitickerNJ.com, 02/08/10Press releases are submitted by PolitickerNJ users, not by staff. They do not represent the viewpoint of PolitickerNJ.com.
Eliminating COAH is a good start
If the governor and the legislature would just get out of the way and permit the bursting housing and mortgage bubbles to burst, housing prices would drop and the market would self-liquidate. Who needs a command and control rule-making bureaucracy when the market provides all the "affordable" housing we'll ever need? Countercyclical attempts by government to mitigate or ameliorate the effects of an adjusting market will simply cause further distortions and future pain and suffering. Seems Merkt and Lonegan understand this.
Mr. Merkt has fired the first salvo in the battle to reestablish a regime of limited government and ordered liberty in New Jersey. Count on the counterattack of the social engineers and special interests to be sharp and severe. Better buckle up and put on your safety helmet.
Agreed
I hope we will see self-dubbed "COAH Crusader" Scott Rumana support Merkt's bill. COAH is Soviet not American.
some sanity
Thank you Mr. Merkt,
The NJ socialists pandering for degenerate votes has to end. The NIMBY crowd has no problem destroying the quality of life for the responsible hard working residents of this once great state. My wife met a recent transplant from Pittsburgh the other day at a function in Mount Laurel, the new resident couldn't believe such a program exists. Her attitude was "you live where you can afford", "If you want to live in a town, work for it and save like I did." NJ feels it is the responsibility of the homeowner to provide housing for someone elses family. Nevermind the issue of increased public services (police & schools) that must be provided by the homeowners of the town. Soon enough the homeowner will be completely bankrupt and then this joke of a state will have to scramble.
COAH will kill suburban Democrats
What Czar Jon Corzine doesn't understand is that his COAH mandates are going to kill Democrats in 36, 37 and 38 which will push Bergen and Passaic into the Republican column for governor.
The politburo down in Corzine's office should think about what's their message to Joe Six Pack in East Rutherford or Paramus?
Vote Column "A" - All the way!
Kill COAH Now!
Marxism is alive and well in the Corzine Administration. It's time for us to free ourselves from the shackles of socialism. It's time to rid ourselves of redistributionist schemers like Corzine. It's to impeach those politicians who wish to control our lives, like David Paterson, who wants to tax non-diet soda in NY.
Enough with the liberal controls! Give me liberty or give me death!
"I figure people drift toward liberalism at a young age, and I always hope that they change when they see how the world really is.”
- Johnny Ramone
A little reality needed here...
Democrats control both houses of the legislature and have the votes in both houses on COAH. Not one Republican voted for the recent COAH bill and it didn't matter.
The best option now is to vote for the delay and trt and reform the formula. Abolishing COAH isn't a bad idea and I'm sure every Republican will vote with Merkt to amend the bill up for a vote.
Unfortunately it'll get tabled and the Dem majority won't post it for an up or down vote.
So while people want to grandstand and make noise..reality is needed here. support the delay and then work on reforming the formula used..
BACKWARDGOPTHINKING
The problem with Backwards so called reality check is it represents the kind of backwards thinking that has made the Republican Party nearly irrelevant in NJ. There a times when you have to take a stand on principle and fight for what people want, no matter the opposition. On COAH, there can be no compromise. It's socialism, or worse. Merkt is right. Scrap COAH completely, challeng the Democratic philospophy that is the core of COAH's Big Brotherism. the only way the GOP will ever rally voters is to take a tough stand on important issues... this is the issue. When people see all those unwanted homes going up in their town, and their taxes going up to pay for them... who are they going to blame? The Democrats, the compromising Republicans?
Merkt's COAH bill
Pity the D Leg. won't even consider Rick's bill. The organization perpetuates one of the two biggest mistakes the Supreme's have made in NJ. The Court acts as though it has no connection to reality or the impact of its decisions.
tpaine...
Yeah,that'll work screw over the towns that deal with COAH just to play political grandstanding and noise making.
The towns desperately need help here, the best possible options for them is the delay and then a reforming of the formula.
Explain to me how an abolishment of COAH gets passed in the legislature now....
You don't get it
You think like a mainstream NJGOPer. Oy vey.
If you oppose something on principle, the electorate can be made to understand that the issue is "owned" by the opposition. If you simply vote for a "delay", you are TACITLY ACCEPTING THE LEGITIMACY OF THE OPPOSTION'S PROGRAM.
If you lose while opposing an idea on principle, you can always come back with an "I told you so". What do you say if you lose a mere attempt to delay??? Oh, the idea is okay, just not NOW???
Well, the idea is not okay in any way, shape or form. COAH is wrong, and if you don't have the gumption to say so, you can't or don't habe the right to claim the mantel of the opposition party. The NJGOP no longer has anything to lose in NJ by being less than a 100% TOTAL OPPOSITION PARTY TO ALL PRO-GOVERNMENT INITITATIVES.
Give the people a real choice . . . not just less or slower of the same . . . in any compromise between good and evil, only evil benefits.
All NJ Republicans: Do What Bullhorn Wants!!!
>>>>>>>Well, the idea is not okay in any way, shape or form. COAH is wrong, and if you don't have the gumption to say so, you can't or don't habe the right to claim the mantel of the opposition party. The NJGOP no longer has anything to lose in NJ by being less than a 100% TOTAL OPPOSITION PARTY TO ALL PRO-GOVERNMENT INITITATIVES.<<<<<
Please, adopt the most extremist right wing radical positions on all the issues! Be "idiotlogically pure".
Make my day! ;-)
Thank You
PS Note the "cross" over Merkt's left shoulder (in the pic that comes with this blog post)! The Garrett people would cheer that visual "framing".
Though I believe Christ would disapprove of Merkt's agenda.
From Frederick Douglass
Black hole of governement Dependency
"When people see all those unwanted homes going up in their town, and their taxes going up to pay for them... who are they going to blame? The Democrats, the compromising Republicans?"
It's absolutely infuriating tpaine. I am one of those "young people" who Corzine is building ghettos for, but I live with roomates, and now it will be more even more expensive for people like me to live in NJ, in fact, you might say these ghettos that Corzine wants to build are like a black hole, pulling people who are just making their rent out of their apartments and into government dependency. Corzine raises pay roll and sales taxes.. not to mention tolls and he wonders why no one can afford to live in NJ. We need Lonegan in 09. Another GOP cookie cutter moderate like Forrester, Zimmer or .. yes, Christ Christie isn't going to cut it. If Lonegan loses then we know New Jersyians have chosen Marxism, and those of us who still like keeping most of our paycheck can leave; provided Corzine doesn't erect Machine guns and barbed wire before we can flee.
Panama Jack....
I hope you're kidding and you don't really believe the nonsense you're spouting.
If you, literally believe all that you said in that post; you're the stuff that terrorists are made of.
Corzine (as flawed and far from perfect as he is) is no "commie" and he's not about to "erect Machine guns and barbed wire" to keep you trapped in New Jersey.
Don't let yourself become a "true believer" all ideologies (and that certainly includes man made "religions") become absolute bullshit when taken to extremes....and don't let yourself become cannon fodder for perverse old farts who will soon be dead.
Chill....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ0TDeGmGOk
From Frederick Douglass
And on a totally unrelated note...
Corzine just made sure that elderly people who are on a fixed income up to 80K a year get their property tax rebates. But don't worry Panama, just know that even though Corzine has done everything to make it harder for you to get a place of your own, he's only helping the elderly who need it. Because 80K a year, how can you expect ANYONE to live off that fixed income?
Nick
COAH is another government unfunded welfare system. How many other states have instituted this policy to the extent that socialist NJ has? Portions of my taxes (state, federal, property) already go toward paying for welfare programs. However, your thinking is that I should go further than others in this country and provide for whoever puts their hand out. I always find it sickening that the ones who decry my postion are the ones that have little skin in the game. There is nothing stopping you from exchanging your comfortable lifestyle with someone else to make you feel better. However, demanding that I buy into the socialsit welfare generating program that you propose is disgusting. Keep your hands out of my pockets. If people wish to live in a town, work for it and save like the taxpayers of that town have. Mount Laurel has to put in 1400 units (minimum $160,000 a unit, $224,000,000 bill just for the units alone). Who do you think has to pay for it? Property owners. I will inform Mayor Drunkard to look for your donation. We all know that is not going to happen.
Of course my disagreement of your position will guarantee a smarmy big word "smarter than thou" retort. Libs have no problem spending my money, they just have a problem spending theirs and as this continues, the welfare state grows larger. Side note:I believe the lawyer who brought this wonderful legislation to us lives in Haddonfield. How many units do they have down there?
..forgot
I forgot, Haddonfield sold their units. Another case of the NIMBY crowd.
Hah
Oh Nick, don't you know satire when you hear it? I don't believe that Corzine will erect Machine guns and barbed wire. However, His ideology is as far a leftist/socialist , as Lonegans is free market capitalist. He will try to get me and others as much dependent on government as possible so I elect him year after year, as I'll need him to provide me with handouts in the form of housing or otherwise.
Put this together if you can: When the expenses of my landlord go up, ie: property taxes, income taxes etc.. Any tax that puts an extra burden on him will raise my rent.
So when Corzine raises my landlord's taxes to pay for the construction of his NJ slums, he effectively raises my rent, driving me out of my place. I doubt I'll ever be save enough to but a home in jersey, but Corzine isn't making it any easier.
If I can't afford my rent, I have to move somewhere cheaper.. like Corzines slum.
Not unlike a black hole, which sucks in everything that gets close, Corzines slum scheme will suck people into government dependency.
Maybe I shoulda bought an adjustable rate mortgage. I'm probably more reliable a borrower than half the deadbeats they gave loans to.
The Democrat-Middle Class Myth
Democrats don't care about the middle class. Nothing they do is designed to help grow a middle class in this state. Under their leadership our state budget has more than doubled while property taxes have continued to skyrocket. Corzine and his party have no problem with this. They have done nothing to stem rising property taxes in any serious way. Their only "solution" is to send a property tax rebate that for some reason always comes around right before election time. A rebate that may come or may not, and how big it will be if it does come is flexible.
They will stand behind COAH because they believe strongly in "affordable housing". They believe strongly in making sure that people who can't pay 7K-12K a year in property taxes are with their own kind, in homes where the equity and return on the home is capped, ensuring those people will never get 'too ahead'.
If Democrats wanted to make New Jersey more affordable they would find a way to lower property taxes. They would not let the state debt triple in their tenure. They would make this state more hospitable to business so we wouldn't lose jobs to other states like Pennsylvania. If Democrats cared about the middle class, they would take their boot of it's throat.
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Hi all!
However, your thinking is that I should go further than others in this country and provide for whoever puts their hand out. I always find it sickening that the ones who decry my postion are the ones that have little skin in the game.
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